Shoe heel



March 6, 1934. N. A. MONFILS SHOE HEEL Filed Oct. 1, 1932 UNITED The invention relates STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE HEEL Napoleon A. Monfils, Haverlrill, Mass.

Application October 1,

3 Claims.

to improvements in ladies shoe heels and more particularly to means for detachably connecting a lift with a wooden heel.

One object is to provide simple and inexpensive, yet eflicient means for attaching the lift and reinforcing the wooden heel, the structure being such that the lift may be readily detached and replaced with a new lift whenever required.

A further object is to provide a novel construction in which a rubber lift is confined between the heel and a leather lift to absorb shocks when walking and thereby prevent excessive tiring of the users feet.

With the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying draw- Fig. l is a vertical sectional View showing one manner of attaching a'rubber and a leather lift to a wooden heel.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing another form of dowel adapted to engage the plate shown in Fig. 6.

In the drawing above briefly described, the numeral 10 denotes a conventional wooden heel. This heel is provided with a vertical bore 11 whose side wall is preferably lined by a thin metal tube 12, said tube having longitudinal outwardly stamped portions which provide it with external ribs 13 and internal grooves 14. The ribs are embedded in corresponding grooves in the wall of the bore 11 and the tube 12 is thus held against possible rotation in said bore.

A vertical-walled kerf 15 is formed in the upper end of the heel 10 and intersects the bore 11 about centrally. Into this kerf, a vertical metal plate 16 is driven, said plate having a detent portion 17 disposed within the heel bore.

The plate 18 driven into the heel.

In the construction 1932, Serial No. 635,828 (CI. 36-42) shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the detent portion 17 of the plate 16 is in the form of a downwardly projecting neck having substantially horizontal ribs 19 at opposite sides of its lower end, said ribs being preferably beveled on'both their upper and 00 lower sides.

The numeral 20 denotes a leather lift to which a dowel 21 (preferably tubular) is rigidly secured at 22. The upper end of this dowel is bifurcated to provide two detents or fingers 23 which are as detachably engaged with the detent portion 17 of the plate 16.

The inner sides of the detents or fingers 23 are provided with ribs 24 beveled upon both their upper and their lower sides. When the dowel 21 is upwardly forced or driven into the tube 12, the beveled ribs 24 come in contact with the beveled ribs 19 and'the arms 23 are thus spread sufficiently to allow said ribs to snap past each other, so that the beveled lower sides or shoulders of the ribs 24 will lie upon the beveled upper sides or shoulders of the ribs 19, thereby holding the dowel 21 and lift 20 attached to the heel, but allowing detachment when said dowel and lift are pulled downwardly with sufficient force.

Opposite sides of the dowel 21 are provided with longitudinal ribs 25 which are snugly received in the grooves 14 of the tube 12, so that these ribs and grooves hold the dowel and the lift against turning out of position and relieve the fingerssor the like 23 of performing this function. ,These ribs 25 are also instrumental in holding a rubber lift 26 against turning with respect to the leather lift 20 and the heel 10. The lift 26 is interposed between the leather lift 20 and the heel 10 and is formed with an opening shaped to snugly receive the dowel 21 and its ribs 25. During the act of walking, the lift 20 and the dowel 21 may yield vertically to some extent and hence the rubber lift 26 forms a cushion to absorb shocks and prevent excessive tiring of the users feet.

In Fig. 6, a plate 16 is shown, corresponding to the plate 16 but having only one beveled rib 19*. This plate is co-operable with fingers 23 on the upper end of a dowel 21 only one of said fingers however, being provided with a beveled rib 24 to co-act with the rib 19, (see Fig. 7)

Fig. 8 discloses a dowel pin 21 having but one finger 23* provided with a beveled rib 24 to coactwith the rib 19 of the plate 16 Any of the forms of construction herein disclosed, or substantial equivalents thereof, may be employed with good results.

1. In a heel lift attaching means, a vertical fiat-sided plate for disposition in the upper end of a heel, said plate having an upper edge to lie fiush with the heel seat and having integral downwardly projecting anchoring spurs at its front and rear ends, said plate having an integral tongue projecting downwardly from its lower edge for reception in a heel bore, said tongue having means for engagement with a lift-carried dowel.

2. In a heel lift attaching means, a vertical flat-sided plate for disposition in the upper end of a heel, said plate having an inclined upper edge to lie flush with the heel seat, being provided with a substantially semi-circular lower edge and having integral downwardly projecting anchoring spurs at the juncture of said edges, said plate having an integral central tongue projecting downwardly from said curved lower edge for reception in a heel bore, said tongue being provided on at least one 01' its vertical sides with a horizontal beveled rib to engage a lift-carried deten 3. A wooden heel provided with a vertical bore, a metal tube providing 'a lining for the wall of said bore and terminating below the upper end of the heel, said upper end of the heel being provided with a vertical-walled keri', a vertical plate fixedly held in said keri' and having a tongue member projecting downwardly into said bore, a heel lift, and a dowel secured to said lift and snugly received in said tube, the upper end of said dowel having a finger member detachably engaged with said tongue member, said tongue and finger members having contacting beveled shoulders disengageable from each other upon downward pulling of said lift and dowel. NAPOLEON A. MONFILS. 

